Servant and Light Podcast

"The Lord has given me this passion. Sometimes I pray about it, is this passion just for me or is it really coming from the Lord? I always pray na sana ito, it goes beyond myself, to glorify the Lord." - Joel Dayao  With the effort of reaching out to the least, last, and the lost, Missio Amare (previously known as Social Development Program) helps uplift our brothers and sisters from spiritual poverty. Joel Dayao, its president, saw that his passion for the environment also led him to fully embrace the calling to serve in Missio Amare. Noli Manuel, the executive director, shares that Missio Amare continues how we respond to poverty - and with the changes, we just aim to reach even more people.  Missio Amare still remains true in transforming society, responding to the different needs - taking care of the environment, providing help with legal needs, and taking care of persons deprived of liberty, among others. And with this, many different opportunities open for CFC to share the love even more. Listen to the full episode to know and appreciate the call of Missio Amare. ---------- Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website: https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/ Follow us on the following platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG: https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org

When Boyet Rafael was invited by a friend to attend the CLP, he and his wife Ditas thought they should give it a try. But they also hope their specific prayer would be granted by the end of their CLP: that they may finally be blessed with a child.  This prayer wasn't answered, but he also knows that it was CFC that saved their marriage. From then on, he was involved in different services in the community and ANCOP.  From a family tradition of feeding the less fortunate to personally sponsoring students, Boyet Rafael has experienced firsthand how it is to extend help to the poor. He carries this posture of gratefulness as he now serves as ANCOP Executive Director.  In this episode, Boyet Rafael shares how he finds happiness in helping people, why working with the poor is personal to him, how ANCOP remains evangelization-driven, and his prayer that may God continue to bless what ANCOP is doing. ---------- Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website: https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/ Follow us on the following platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG: https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org

When Rouquel and Nina Ponte joined Couples for Christ back in 1982, he didn't expect CFC to grow as big as it is now. As a private person, had he known that he'd eventually become a leader in the community, maybe he would have not attended the CLP at all.  But God really has His ways to make His plan a reality. Rouquel Ponte grew in faith through CFC and became a leader in the community. In 2016, the community saw the need to implement Amoris laetitia, addressing the pastoral care for families. He also saw the need to learn how to care for families, singles, and even people in difficult and irregular situations.  Accompanying our members is one of the gifts that we have in our community. From households to one-on-ones, we grow in our relationships and faith because we are reminded that we are not alone. Rouquel Ponte gives his insights on CFC's response to pastoral accompaniment, why accompaniment starts in our household, and the importance of spiritual grounding as we journey with each other.  Make sure to listen to the full episode with Rouquel Ponte.  ----------  Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website:  https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/  Follow us on the following platforms: FB:  https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG:  https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT:  https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia  For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org 

"Who I am today is because of the yes that I continue to give to God, by His grace of course. Kaya tuloy tuloy lang sa misyon kahit minsan parang mahirap sya." Couples for Christ is one of the mission-sending organizations recognized by the Vatican and over the years, lay missionaries (known as fulltime pastoral workers) have been trained and equipped to do the mission of CFC. Ruel and Maan Aguirre have been fulltime pastoral workers since their younger days. They started as lay missionaries of the young ministries and when they got married, they continued to answer the call of the Lord to go on mission as a couple, being assigned in the province of Kalinga and South Africa. In the course of their mission life, what they realized is that God never fails in answering prayers - through people and experiences - without them having to insist. It's all God's grace. They also share how the formation and training have changed since they started as missionaries. But the core of the pastoral workers' missionary training will remain the same - being pro-God, pro-family, pro-life, and pro-poor. Listen to their mission stories, why the formation of missionaries plays an important role in guiding pastoral workers, and how answering God's call is not about the one who's called, but about the one who calls. ----------  Make sure to listen to the full episode.  Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website:  https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/  Follow us on the following platforms: FB:  https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG:  https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT:  https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia  For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org

"And I realized how important it is to face the Lord in a special way where someone can assist you, can help you to recognize what is happening and how the Lord is moving in your life. Basically, that's what spiritual direction is." - Bernie Cuevas Bernie Cuevas went through the pain of losing her husband and being left with her children early in their marriage. And at that moment, she didn't know what hit her. Everything changed.  Throughout this ordeal, she felt anger and pain, but she also knew she needed God and so she continued to cling to Him. She knew how it felt to be lost and learned the importance of being supported by friends and family.  And that is how spiritual direction became meaningful to her. She shares how the Lord allowed her to see her relationship with God at the moment, and this helped her appreciate spiritual direction even more.   In this episode, Bernie Cuevas opens up about her experiences of losing a husband, God's "one-month miracle" in their lives, why spiritual direction matters, and how we can deepen our relationship with God through it.  ----------  Make sure to listen to the full episode.  Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website:  https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/  Follow us on the following platforms: FB:  https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG:  https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT:  https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia  For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org 

"Let us be secured in the love of God. Kung secured ka sa pagmamahal ng Panginoon, kahit na anong pagsubok ang dumaan sa'yo, alam mo na malalampasan 'yan." - Lawrence Quintero Ever since Lawrence Quintero was young, he has been actively serving in the church. He dreamed of being a fulltime pastoral worker and when he recognized the call, he prayed that this dream may be blessed by the Lord. He has been a fulltime pastoral worker during his single years, and when he became a CFC, his dream service was to be a chapter head. But from there, did he ever think he'd be a member of the International Council? In this episode, he gives us an overview of his journey as a leader in the community, and even gets candid as he shares his personal struggle with pride and why there are CFC leaders who often become self-entitled. Let his reminder of focusing on the Messiah and the message be our helpline to grow in humility. Hear more from Lawrence Quintero and learn about the humility of a Christian leader. Tune in to the episode. ---------- Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website: https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/ Follow us on the following platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG: https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org

"They find CFC as God's transforming agent para sa buhay ng bawat isa, buhay ng mag-asawa, buhay ng pamilya." - Jimmy Ilagan At age 27, Jimmy and his wife Lorna were already part of CFC. At a young age, they learned how to live a life of faith, career, and family through the community. Before becoming the head of CFC Evangelization and Missions group, he experienced several mission opportunities, including serving in ANCOP. For him, CFC as an evangelizing community is truly a gift from God - what started as the evangelization of couples was redirected to evangelizing families and society. But is the way CFC evangelizes still relevant at present times? What are we doing to help people be brought back to the Church? And is there a most effective way to evangelize? Know all that and more as Jimmy shares his insights. Make sure to listen to the full episode. ---------- Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website: https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/ Follow us on the following platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG: https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org

"You cannot ascribe being a light by yourself unless you reflect the light of Christ." - Joe Yamamoto How can a surgeon with a very busy life put up with everything that's happening - from balancing his role of being a husband and father, taking care of his family, doing his job as a physician, serving the community of Couples for Christ - and still live a life of prayer? Our guest in this episode is Dr. Joe Yamamoto, a physician-surgeon by profession who has been a member of the community since 1985. From his answer of "I'll give it a try" when he was invited to attend the CLP to now being the chairman/president of Couples for Christ, he shares with us what it means to be a light and how we can be a light to others. Spoiler: it's not a complex answer. As a surgeon and teacher, Joe has faced many challenges in his service, but he always makes sure to attend household meetings as he believes the household is the lifeblood of the community. He draws inspiration from his parents and his wife, Dr. Mila, as his light and he shares how one can become light himself. This is where his consistent reminder of the importance of one's prayer and scripture life comes in. Tune in to the full episode and let the words of Joe Yamamoto be our inspiration as we strive to be a light to others. ---------- Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website: https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/ Follow us in the following platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG: https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org

"Servanthood is a gift and because it is a gift from God, God has a plan on how to be able to make you happy in serving." - Arnel Santos In this first episode of the Servant and Light Podcast, we sat with Arnel Santos, the Executive Director of Couples for Christ. From being invited to join the Christian Life Program through a house visit to eventually serving the community in different capacities, one may wonder how a lawyer like him started his service in CFC. It was through arranging chairs in the venue, preparing drinks for the CLP, being part of the music ministry, and even teaching kids to play keyboards when they became KFC Chapter Couple Coordinators. From then on, he grew deeper in his faith and fell in love with the community even more. He shares with us what it means to be part of a team of servants, what's the hardest part of his service, how God gives us charismatic gifts to strengthen us in service, and why his desire to love Christ continue to empower him to serve CFC. Let his personal insights and candid stories serve as an inspiration for us to remain faithful to the mission. Make sure to listen to this episode! ---------- Learn more about Couples for Christ here: Website: https://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/ Follow us in the following platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/CFChrist/ IG: https://instagram.com/cfchrist YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/CouplesforChristMedia For feedback and suggestions, you can email us here: cfcdigitalmissions@couplesforchristglobal.org